Ask the Author: Jim Rugg
Answered Questions (6)
Jim Rugg
My most recent book is the Street Angel Gang. The inspiration for that comes from the main character, Street Angel. She’s a homeless orphan ninja on a skateboard. She’s only 13 years old. While brainstorming with my writing partner, Brian Maruca, we thought about her life and setting and it seemed like a natural fit that she would be drawn into gang life. The story developed from that simple concept. What would happen if Jesse joined a gang? Once we started playing with that idea, we thought about the gangs we’ve read about or seen in books and movies like the Warriors or the Scooby gang and imagined how Street Angel would fit with them...
Jim Rugg
I grew up in a blue collar family where my dad worked 6 days a week most of my life. I try to approach writing/drawing with the same work ethic. I love doing it, but it’s also my daily practice. Some days I may not feel “inspired� but I still go to the drawing table or the desk and work.
My inspiration for this career is all of the stories that I loved reading or have yet to read. So I read and watch movies and listen to podcasts that continue to inspire me to make my own stories. Traveling and leaving my house and meeting new people also helps inspire me and gives me ideas for new stories and characters.
I don’t find that I need inspiration to write. I could use a few more hours a day though because I have lots of stories that I want to tell!
My inspiration for this career is all of the stories that I loved reading or have yet to read. So I read and watch movies and listen to podcasts that continue to inspire me to make my own stories. Traveling and leaving my house and meeting new people also helps inspire me and gives me ideas for new stories and characters.
I don’t find that I need inspiration to write. I could use a few more hours a day though because I have lots of stories that I want to tell!
Jim Rugg
I'm currently creating a series of graphic novels featuring Street Angel published by Image Comics. Street Angel is a homeless, 13-year-old, ninja skater girl. The current book I'm working on is Street Angel: Super Hero for a Day. Here’s the summary: Jesse knows the pressures of being the girl who always saves the day and she’s okay with it. It’s just who she is. But when she and her friends stumble across a powerful alien artifact - they soon realize that being a superhero isn’t all fun and games. Is this an alien plot to destroy their friendship or will Jesse hock the artifact for a couple of hot dogs?
Jim Rugg
I try to demystify the creative process. For me, making comics and graphic novels and art and stories is how I make a living. That means getting up each day and treating it like I would a more traditional occupation. I sit at my desk and I write (work). I don’t rely on inspiration. Some days are easier than others for sure. But to make a living at this, I have learned to write on the days that aren’t as easy. There are a lot of tricks and strategies to do this. Designating a specific time to write is helpful. This was true when I had a day job and had to find time to write before and after work (and during my lunch hour sometimes). Having a time to write makes it easier to overcome any distractions or creative blocks. Over time, this practice will make the process more natural and the focus can become telling stories rather than waiting for inspiration.
The other advice is that you need to find readers. When I started, I could not give my stories away. That’s a hard part of this job that I did not expect. I thought that once I found a publisher, I could concentrate on making stories. But promotion is part of this business. And I love readers and feedback so it’s a bigger part of what I do than I expected. My advice is start engaging and developing your audience the same way that you develop your craft as a storyteller.
Finish stuff. Perfect is impossible. Don't let the quest for perfection keep you from finishing a story. No one is perfect. Finish your story and try to write a better story next. Then repeat.
The other advice is that you need to find readers. When I started, I could not give my stories away. That’s a hard part of this job that I did not expect. I thought that once I found a publisher, I could concentrate on making stories. But promotion is part of this business. And I love readers and feedback so it’s a bigger part of what I do than I expected. My advice is start engaging and developing your audience the same way that you develop your craft as a storyteller.
Finish stuff. Perfect is impossible. Don't let the quest for perfection keep you from finishing a story. No one is perfect. Finish your story and try to write a better story next. Then repeat.
Jim Rugg
Characters. Research. Setting. Brainstorming and daydreaming. I don’t know. I love storytelling. I love reading stories, listening to stories, watching them, thinking about them, talking about them, and especially making and telling them!
I guess one of my favorite things is when a character is so well-developed that I can imagine them in any situation and they surprise me as if they are alive. This is one of my favorite experiences.
Because I also draw my stories, it’s exciting when a drawing is done and I see my characters in their world. Again, it’s like they come to life. That’s the best part, when my characters come to life on the page and in my head (and hopefully in your head).
Sharing these stories and seeing other people respond is also special.
I guess one of my favorite things is when a character is so well-developed that I can imagine them in any situation and they surprise me as if they are alive. This is one of my favorite experiences.
Because I also draw my stories, it’s exciting when a drawing is done and I see my characters in their world. Again, it’s like they come to life. That’s the best part, when my characters come to life on the page and in my head (and hopefully in your head).
Sharing these stories and seeing other people respond is also special.
Jim Rugg
Creative blocks can be hard. I write with a partner, Brian Maruca. He tends to be left-brained and I tend to be right-brained. When one of us hits a block, we can pass the story to the other person. Usually I work on several projects and stories at a time. If I get stuck on one story, I can work on another one. Often when I’m working on one story, I’ll get ideas for another story or for the story where I felt blocked. Sometimes I review the blocked story before I go to bed so my brain can work on it while I sleep. Another strategy is to go for a walk or a run when I’m trying to overcome a block or work out an idea. In the last couple of years I have gotten better at keeping a notebook where I write record ideas about everything I’m working on and some stuff that I’m not working on. When I’m blocked, I can review notes from earlier in the story’s development and find a good idea that I forget I had or it will spark a new idea to get me writing again.
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